“The determination of the abortion industry to push women to undergo this in their own home with no real medical supervision illustrates their cavalier attitude when it comes to the well-being of women.”

What is a medical abortion?

Official government figures show that each year around 180,000 abortions are carried out in England, with medical abortions the most common way of ending an unwanted pregnancy.

Medical abortion involves taking two types of tablet.

The first, mifepristone, stops the hormone that allows the pregnancy to continue working.

The second, misoprostol, is normally taken 24 to 48 hours later, and encourages the womb to contract to pass the pregnancy.

After four to six hours, the lining of the womb breaks down, causing bleeding and loss of the pregnancy.

The Department of Health said the change would come into force by the end of 2018.

It said it would work closely with doctors to develop clinical guidance for all professionals to follow when providing the abortion pill to patients.

Four in five terminations are early medical abortions, carried out before 10 weeks gestation, so the majority of women seeking abortions will now have the option for home-use.

They will still be free to choose to take the second abortion pill in a clinic if they wish.

Women wanting an early abortion will be given the usual checks under the Abortion Act – although this does not apply in Northern Ireland where the law is much stricter than the rest of the UK and terminations are all but outlawed.

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